Lucknow: A day after an Uttar Pradesh Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer resigned over the new University Grants Commission (UGC) rules and the Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand issue, another UP government officer has resigned—but this time in support of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Prashant Kumar Singh, a GST deputy commissioner posted in Ayodhya, resigned Tuesday, saying he was deeply hurt by the comments made by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand against CM Yogi Adityanath.
Singh told the media that he could not tolerate what he described as an “insult” to the chief minister, as his livelihood and family depend on the salary from the Uttar Pradesh government.
“In favour of the government and to oppose Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand, I have resigned. For the last two days, I was deeply hurt by his baseless allegations against our CM and PM,” Singh told the media.
“I have certain moral responsibilities towards the government that pays my salary… When I saw that my CM and PM are being insulted, I sent my resignation papers to the governor,” he added.
Singh said that when insulting language is used against the head of the government, it causes him “personal pain”. Bound by service rules, he said he kept silent for two days, but he could no longer bear it and, therefore, sent his resignation to the Governor.
After resigning, the 48-year-old officer spoke to his wife on the phone and broke down in tears. A video of this conversation went viral on social media on Tuesday.
Senior officers, including the GST additional commissioner, additional district magistrate and SP City, reached his office to talk to him, but he did not withdraw his resignation.
His resignation comes a day after Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri stepped down in support of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand. Agnihotri claimed the CM Yogi government was “anti-Brahmin” and extended his support to the Shankaracharya.
In his two-page resignation letter addressed to the governor, Prashant Kumar Singh strongly criticised remarks made by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and CM Yogi Adityanath.
He called the comments “indecent” and “irresponsible”, and said they were an attack not just on individuals but on democracy, the Constitution, and the people’s mandate.
He said the decision was taken out of moral responsibility.
“I am paid by the government. When I saw my chief minister and prime minister being insulted, I felt it was my duty to speak up,” he said.
“This government is our benefactor, and we are indebted to it. It is not my duty to behave like a robot or a machine, merely drawing a salary from the government. If someone commits a mistake against my state, against my Chief Minister or against my Prime Minister, I will not remain silent,” he said in the letter.
Singh added that he had been under mental stress for the last few days and took the step after thinking it through carefully. He said that once his resignation is accepted, he intends to devote himself to social work using his own resources.
He wrote that a government officer’s duty is not limited to office work or revenue collection, but also includes protecting the dignity of the system and its leadership. He said abusive language against elected leaders creates confusion and unrest in society, and staying silent would have hurt his self-respect.
Singh also said that while he is an officer, he is also a citizen, a father, and a “sensitive person”.
He made it clear that his resignation was voluntary and not due to any pressure or political motive, but purely a decision taken according to his conscience.
Shankaracharya row in Prayagraj
Swami Avimukteshwaranand, the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand, came into the spotlight in January after he accused the Yogi Adityanath government of mistreating his associates and stopping him from taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on Mauni Amavasya, an important religious day.
Later, he openly challenged CM Yogi after the Prayagraj administration issued him a notice objecting to Avimukteshwaranand calling himself the Shankaracharya on a signboard at his camp during the Prayagraj Magh Mela. His coronation as Shankaracharya is disputed, and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
Replying to the notice, Avimukteshwaranand said that neither the Prayagraj administration, nor the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, nor even the President has the power to decide who is a Shankaracharya. He said that only Shankaracharyas can make that decision and claimed that he is the uncontested Shankaracharya.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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